I will try to fix you
by Linneagb
Summary: Late one night Elena comes home all bruised up and heartbroken. The only one at home is Schneider who stays up to take care of her after what, or rather who hurt her tonight. Although Elena is traumatized and Schneider is in loss of what to do. Oneshot.


**Well. This is my first try to a fanfiction for one day at a time while waiting for the third season to come out. I just happen to love Schneider and he's obviously great with the kids. Anyway, here it is and I hope you like it. It's told from Schneider's point of view.**

 **Oh, and one character I don't like- Syd. They're just… ugh! So no, I neither like Syd and Elena together.**

Late one night while taking out the trash I was humming to myself feeling strangely happy all of a sudden. And feeling happy at the moment of opening the trash can and feeling that smell certainly wasn't the right place to be happy- or at least weird.

But maybe, that happiness was something knowing that it would soon take a turn for the very worst. And I stopped humming when I thought I heard something else than the lid of the trash can being placed back, then turned when I could hear a slight whimper a bit further down the street.

"Elena?" I ran down the street, the girl ahead of me didn't react to my shout. So I slowed my pace slightly, then when the marks- bruises and scrapes on her face and hands looked clearer the closer I came. I could see it was her, and also that she wasn't looking up.

"Elena." I ran the fastest I could the last couple of steps and laid my hands on her arms when she still didn't react.

"AAAH. LET GO OF ME. LET GO."

"Sch. Sch, sch, sch." I tried to comfort and hid a grimace while I looked around. "It's just me- Schneider." She barely opened her eyes- one of them so badly bruised she didn't get it much open at all. "It's okay. Come on." Backing towards our door I then turned around and pulled Elena's arm around my shoulders so I could support her. "What happened to you?"

She didn't answer. And it seemed to take everything of her concentration and power to come even with my support through the door and up the stairs.

"Nobody's home." She told me weakly when I tugged the doorknob to her and her grandma and brother's apartment. "And I don't have my key. But there is a spare one under the doormat. But I don't think I can…"

"It's okay." I made sure Elena was steady on her own two feet- yet she leaned heavily against the wall when I let go and leaned down to find a key under the doormat. As quickly as possible. "Come on. Come sit down now." I let Elena lean against me while we slowly made our way over to the living room couch that she fell into with a moan.

"What happened Elena?" I sat down next to her and carefully stroke away a tress of her hair from her face so I could see the bruises properly. "And don't even think I cannot notice the way you won't answer me. Because I won't let it go until you do."

Don't even think I don't know that look of turning away knowing that you've done something wrong.

"Have you got your phone on you?" I asked to change the subject after minutes of only waiting. "I'm not… very good with first-aid-stuff. I'm not an expert or anything still but… Google!" Elena didn't answer me now neither, only sniffled and looked away. "I left my phone upstairs so…"

"They took my phone, my keys, my money- everything."

"Who did?"

I wouldn't have had to ask. It was way too easy putting together piece by piece.

"Okay, well. I need to use Google." I patted on my jeans' pockets another time as if I didn't already know my phone wasn't there. "I'll be right back. I'm just going to…"

Without finishing the sentence I got onto my feet. Then half ran out of the flat, up the stairs, found the phone quickly on my kitchen counter and then down again as if the time only had been a matter of life and death.

"Do you have a headache?" I checked on Google for concussion while hurrying down the stairs. "Nausea? Dizziness? Do you remember what happened? How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Yes, no, a little bit. I do remember but it is a bit blurry. And three."

"Look straight ahead. Can you look at my finger without turning your head?" I bent down two of the fingers I'd been holding up and moved my hand from side to side, up and down. "That's good."

At least I could pretend I knew what it meant that she did it perfectly.

Or I could just change the subject to something I knew anything about. Even though I'd be pretty sure the young girl in front of me wanted to talk about anything than that.

"What were you doing out there? It's almost midnight. You should have been in bed hours ago."

Usually the tears would have made me so uncomfortable I would mostly had wanted to run the fastest I could up to my flat and not be back here until at least a week from now.

"Where's your mum? And Lydia? And Alex?"

"There was some sleepover at Alex's school tonight. And I think mami and abulea wanted to do something on their own. So I gave them, as a present for them both- one night at a hotel in town for them. And then I don't know how many times I promised I'd be fine on my own for only one night before they agreed to let me. And then look what happens."

"When are they coming back?"

"Tomorrow afternoon. At two, three-ish."

I turned back to my phone and Google again, then just stared at the text without reading as if that would help me understand what to do.

"Penelope is a nurse after all. Maybe I should call her. I know you said they wanted some time on their own. But she'd want to know that you're hurt. And I think you actually know that. And too, I think you know that a mum is something very special in cases like this one."

"No, please don't call my mum. I know she's really been looking forward until tonight and I had to convince her for forever before she even agreed to let me be home alone tonight. Please don't call her. I feel fine, I don't need her, okay?"

Hesitating and biting my tongue I didn't know what I should do- damned if I do, damned if I don't. If I did then Elena would most likely be angry with me and Penelope and Lydia wouldn't get their night on their own at a hotel. And if I didn't they wouldn't know about what had happened until tomorrow and if they'd know I was here and knew- which they would. Then the others would be angry with me for not telling them.

"Tell you what. I won't call your mum. But it's on a few conditions. If you get a headache, or get sick or anything else that you shouldn't feel. You tell me and I'll take you to the ER if I have to. And if I have to I'll tie your hands and feet back and carry you to do it. And then you're going to have to tell your mum you wanted this or she'll be absolutely furious with me. Okay? Deal?"

"Deal."

"And then another condition- you also tell me what happened."

For a second, or maybe like eighteen seconds afterwards Elena hesitated and only looked back at me. I wanted to say something else, but at the same time didn't want to pressure her so everything I did was to wait. And then made sure I got every word when she started explaining to me.

"I and Syd went to have dinner at our friend's Theodore's. But Syd was so quiet there and they're never so quiet unless there's something wrong. Then I was walking them home and I asked what it was. That I wouldn't be quiet and stop unless they told me. Because I could really tell there was something."

I had to admit that every time Syd was spoken as a them or their. I was as usual wondering Syd and who else. Before I remembered half a second later that that was Syd's pronouns and had to stop myself before I asked something that would embarrass myself.

"And then they broke up with me. Just as I was leaving them by their door." New tears rolled down from Elena's dark eyes and down her bruised cheeks. "Just like that and then they left me there. And I was walking home… you know where Syd lives right?"

"Yep. Down by that where the road meets there and that crossroad. On the other side of… oh dear God. Elena please tell me you didn't take Nelson street home." Her eyes spoke perfectly enough. And with the bruises and the crouched way she sat as if she was afraid I might grow big as a house and start hitting her enough with that. "But why? Haven't I told you a million times not to move a meter into that place? Along with your mum, dad, grandma and who knows how many others?"

"I know. I know." New tears ran down her cheeks and I felt bad for raising my voice and fizzling at her. "But going around would have taken me at least half an hour, and going through less than five. So I hurried, almost ran. And thought that I'd make it all the way through… When…"

It was getting harder to shove away the memories of my own nights in those blocks when it was way too easy to realize where this story was heading. Drunken memories of pills in the wrong hands, can we try this and this? With this or this? Laughing in one corner with the rest of those guys and then standing in another puking my guts up before the night was over. Harassing girls that walked by, getting in fight. And then a girl, a young girl lying on the pavement. A young girl only about the same age as Elena would be right now.

Or well, more exactly- the body of a girl who would never be any older than what Elena was right now.

And that all because she had been doing it all in secret. Nobody she knew would know where she'd actually go when she said she was staying at a friend's or going to school camp or sleepovers.

"And when what? It's okay Elena. You can tell me."

"Someone… a guy I think. It was hard to see- he was wearing a balaclava. Jumped up in front of me. Hit me, hit me again, and again…" That would explain all the bruises. "I fell, then he kicked, and kicked, and kicked. The next thing is a bit blurry. But he must have gone through my pockets. Because it started raining and I woke up and the things were gone."

"When was this? At what time?"

"About seven I think."

"Wait… seven?" I checked my clock even though I already knew about what time it was. "Where have you been the last four hours?"

"I just hid. I was afraid if I got out of my hiding spot… When I fell I fell right in behind a dumpster. Then he would come back or I'd meet someone else. I hadn't heard anyone for hours when I finally got out. I got out from Nelson's only around the corner and then… then you were there. And that's the whole story."

Elena was looking down as if she was trying to hide from me in shame. But it didn't cover how tears ran down her cheeks and dripped onto her neck or how her shoulders started bobbing up and down even though in silence.

"Hey." It was almost as of a reflex I wrapped my arms around her as she cried. "It's okay." It was still in silence, but towards my shoulder Elena broke down while I slightly rocked her back and forth with my body and one arm, holding my palm against her dark hair with the other. "Sch, sch, sch. It's okay. It's over now."

At least the getting hit and kicked and everything at Nelson Street was over. I wished that the rest of it could have been just as simple.

"I think I know the answer already. But is there anything I can do for you?" Elena shook her head. I took up my phone and checked again. "Ice? We should put ice on those bruises and it will keep it from swelling." I jumped onto my feet and searched through the freezer in the kitchen.

"Come here."

A bag of frozen peas would have to do to cool it down, wrapped in a kitchen towel so it wouldn't give freeze burns when I held it towards the large bruises on her cheek.

I, on my sake would have flinched and jumped high if someone put anything literally ice cold against my face all of a sudden. Elena didn't move an inch, she didn't even look at me while I took her noticed her clothes being dirty and ripped

"Should I go and find you something else to wear? Or do you want to choose yourself?"

"I can go." Elena struggled onto her feet. I started following to give her support. "I can do it on my own. I just need to get into something new… I want a pyjamas… or just some sweatpants…" Elena was still mumbling to herself about what she was going to wear when she stumbled away from me and left me alone for my thoughts and the icepack she had laid back in my hands…

As soon as she had left me there I froze. Not froze as in what I would have from holding that piece of ice in my hands. But as in the way I sat so absolutely still I didn't look up when Elena came from the bathroom and sunk down to sit on the couch next to me.

At first, we sat only there in silence, if I would have looked to my side I would have seen she was as frozen staring right ahead of her as I was. As if the whole world had suddenly gone silent and still.

"Syd broke up with me."

I didn't want to comment about that she had already said that- she probably remembered that. Instead I just searched for anything at all to say that could be anywhere close to correct in this moment.

"When a girlf… partner we have had breaks up. It does feels like it's killing us. Yet it's something many of us have been through. And despite that it feels like you're all alone in the whole world. Am I right?" Elena nodded slowly. "Well. You aren't. And for now, I am here. I'm not a Syd or another partner of her kind. But you are not alone. And even though what's going on feels like it's killing you right now it won't. And then one day, you're there and suddenly you realize that life went on and… it ended up okay anyway. You might even be able to find somebody else…."

"Like a new Syd?"

"If you want to say it like that then yes. A new Syd. Or maybe someone even better. Someone you end up sharing your whole life with. Then you can't imagine what your life would have been with anybody else- neither Syd nor anybody else."

For a moment Elena only looked up at me, yet she didn't seem to see me right in front of her. There was a dreaming look in her eyes and I almost expected her to go unconscious and collapse right in front of me. It was first when I started brainstorming and going through what I would have to do if she did that she finally shrugged and continued. Her voice sounding more careful and broken than I had ever heard it before. As if she was afraid if she raised it too much it would all disappear.

"I can't wait until that day if it ever comes… except right now it doesn't feel like it… Do you really think I could ever find someone like that? Even though I am… you know, Gay?"

"I don't think so. I know so… And you better invite me to your wedding or I'll take the role as a wedding crasher and cause all kinds of trouble."

Elena didn't smile like I had hoped. But something faded over her expression and maybe there was something close to it, something that then made her eyelids hang in that way they do when you have to force them open not to fall asleep. It was after midnight after all…

"You can sleep. But I'll wake you up a couple of times." I riffled a bit in the list on my phone of what to do when someone had a concussion again. "Just to be safe. And because Penelope would kill me if she came here and I hadn't done every single thing I could to keep you safe and happy."

Elena didn't let wait for her reaction. But instead of getting up and going the few meters to her room she took a blanket from the back of the couch, and draped it over herself while she laid down right where she was.

I would have wanted to get up, put the bag of peas back in the freezer, went to the bathroom. Only do something except for sitting all still. But Elena had ended up with her head about two millimeters from my lap. I didn't want to wake her up if it wasn't on purpose and somehow I just didn't want to look away from her…

I sat there the whole night. Elena was asleep in the couch next to me and I did as that list told me and woke her up twice- at one AM and at four AM. And each time Elena mumbled something about being fine, rolled over on her other side and fell back asleep.

While I didn't feel tired in the slightest. Despite knowing that I should having been awake since yesterday morning.

"No, no…"

Right before seven in the morning Elena suddenly started mumbling in her sleep and twisted and turned in another way than she had so far tonight.

"It's okay." I rubbed her shoulder while she threw herself towards the edge of the sofa all of a sudden. "Wake up. It's just a nightmare."

"No… Syd…"

"It's okay. It's just nightmares. Wake up."

More memories from my own years about Elena's age passed by memories of my own town at Nelson's street, and also the blocks around town that were pretty the same. Memories about drugs and bottles being smashed into a million pieces towards somebody's head or a wall. Blood, puke and God knows what else.

And everything I would have liked to forget all about.

Maybe if I hadn't. If I had just accepted I couldn't, started sharing it instead of keeping it secret aas if that would make it go away. Maybe I could have kept Elena- and everybody else of my family, that I loved and cared about away from there.

I had never been the one who hid behind dumpsters to jump ahead of first, best person who happened to walk by. I had been close, hiding- but then when someone came I had never been able to do it. I couldn't have lived with myself if I did.

But if I had started sharing what I knew about it. Sharing how close I had been, how close anyone could be. Shared that they didn't know half of what was going on.

Maybe if I had started telling them about it I wouldn't have had to stay here tonight. Because I had really said enough for them to keep away from them places at every cost.

"No Syd." She threw her head to the side again and I forced myself back to reality, here and now. "No watch out. Leave him be… no. Watch out. Watch out. SYD?"

I wouldn't have had to ask exactly who "him" was referring to. Yet I wanted to ignore that thought while Elena flew up into sitting position, being so close to the edge she swayed and I had to catch her so she wouldn't fall off the sofa.

"Syd? He's taking Syd. I have to help them."

"Elena, Elena, Elena." I gently grabbed her by the shoulder with one hand and laid the other hand tenderly towards her bruised cheek. "Sch, sch, sch. It's okay. It's okay, it was only a dream. No one's here except for you and me and Syd's fine at home. Okay?"

Hyperventilating Elena looked at me, around in the flat, to the couch to see where she was and back to me. Her breathing slowed down while I stroke her cheek and hoped I could give at least a tiny little bit of help.

"It's okay." Elena sunk back towards the arm support of the couch and pillows. "Maybe… Is there anything you'd like me to do for you? Anything you want?" Elena only shrugged and I tried to think of something on my own. "Maybe I should make you something. Yeah, you'd need something to eat. You haven't eaten since yesterday before you left that… friend's. Tommy or whatever his name was"

"Theodore."

"That's it yeah. At least I got the first letter right. But you should eat something. I'll go make you something. A sandwich with something or something. I say something a lot. Something, something, something."

Before Elena had the time to answer me I got up, into the kitchen and looked through the cupboards for her favorite bread, butter, orange juice. It almost felt weird how much I knew about Elena and her family… But with a shrug and filling up a glass I took it all and walked back into the living room where she sat up with the blanket wrapped around her and barely even flinched when I sat down.

Well, until she started talking that was.

"Schneider?"

"Yeah?"

"What happens if I don't find that person?" Elena seemed more miserable than ever taking the plate that I reached her and stared down on the sandwiches. "You know, the one you talked about? What if I never find that special one that you talked about? And then end up alone for… a hundred years before I die- alone?"

At first I wanted to say something like "everybody goes through this phase" or "I know how you feel" But this wasn't about me or everybody else. And before I answered I laid my hand over where she held it on her lap. And rubbed it with my thumb hoping that would give just a tiny bit of comfort and resistance to the feeling of being all alone at least.

Only words just wouldn't have been enough. But I doubted this was either.

"First of all, you will never be all alone. I'm here and so is your mum and Alex and Abuela. No matter whether you like it or not. So you'll never be all alone. And second… well, if you don't find that special someone. Then you can make a great life for yourself. And upon that, I will buy you… a cat. And you'll name it something stupid like "Garfield" or something. And then you're going to want another one, because one is not enough. And you'll name that too something stupid like… like…"

"Princess?"

"Exactly like Princess yes. And then you'll get another one- Archie, and… Hector. And… Ursula."

"Can you imagine me as crazy cat lady?"

"Yep. Elena Alvarez playing the part of crazy cat lady. I can really just see it in front of me. If we only… if your hair is a bit dirtier and a bit more tousled and then Garfield and Princess, Archie Hector and Ursula. Then another eighty or so cats."

Finally Elena laughed slightly, moaning when it made her jaw hurt and still with that broken look in her eyes. It didn't matter much to me though, as much as I hated seeing her broken and whoever had done this to her. I loved hearing her laugh more than anything in the world and that weighed up enough.

"Now eat. You need it." The smile faded against as Elena took the sandwich and started breaking it into pieces in her hands. "That isn't eating. That's breaking it into pieces to make it seem like you're eating. Don't even try it young lady. You have been under a lot of pressure the last twenty four hours. You need the fuel."

"I can't… my jaw."

Oh damn!

I ran a hand through my hair in a distressed move. For everything I did it seemed like I hit a wall and something got worse again…

I forced away how bad I felt, but could see the hurt so took the plate myself and pressed the sandwich into my mouth with big bites while moving back to the kitchen where I threw the plate on the counter and, not to hit something in anger and scare Elena I gripped hard around the edge of the counter, closed my eyes and forced away the pictures of whoever might have done this to her.

"I have an idea." I mumbled to myself when my eyes passed over an empty fruit bowl on the table, I turned and made my way back into the living room. "I have an idea. I'm just going to go out for a minute and to the grocery store. I won't be gone for long." I grabbed the keys that laid on the counter by the door. "Lock the door after me, I have the keys." Elena nodded and got up. "I'll be right back."

I quickly made my way down the stairs and down the one block in between my house and a small grocery store. Then at the store I hurried to get back to Elena as quick as possible, and threw one thing after the other into the cart that could be used for milkshakes. Bananas of course, everybody used those, strawberries, watermelon and some other kinds of fruits. Then pretty much everything from the shelf with chocolate sauce and toffee sauce and everything taste of that. Then as soon as I had thought I ended with packing every type of ice cream in the cart, remembered I had forgotten the milk and had to go all the way back through the store to get it.

And upon that pretty much anything I thought could be put in a mixer and mix well with whatever else of what I had bought at the moment. Along with plastic cups with lids and straws. Until I then at last, with several plastic bags of size large in my hands I was on my way up the stairs and into the apartment right below my own.

"I have now got…" I started without greeting coming into the flat. "Everything that could possibly be a good part of a… ELENA? WHERE DID YOU GO?" I could feel the fear creeping up inside of me when I found the room empty. "Elena? Elena?" I froze when I heard something and a snivel from behind the curtains leading into Lydia's space. "Elena?" I dropped the bags on the kitchen counter, walked over to her and kneeled in front of the girl, hiding and shaking in fear. "It's just me. You're safe here."

"I know."

It wasn't more than a whisper. But still that shiver and crack in the middle of those two, short words.

Elena didn't say more. But I looked into her eyes almost expecting to see the scenes that she were seeing playing in her eyes. The look on Syd's face when they broke up with her, the darkness in Nelson Street, the light on the end when suddenly someone jumped up right in front of her- someone in dark clothes. Including something that covered their face.

And then, at last being all alone and hearing someone- me, coming up the stairs towards the apartment.

"Did you hear me coming and suddenly had a feeling it wasn't me that was coming but… somebody else."

A few seconds passed by, then a small, barely noticeable nod was seen as Elena only slightly bobbed her head up and down.

How dare anyone hurt a member of my family like this?

Whatever could I do to help fix it?

"I don't know if it helps to know. But it was me. Nobody else than stupid, embarrassing, annoying Schneider who does care for you loads and loads. And that Schneider would never, ever hurt you."

"I know."

And the way she looked me in the eyes she could just as well have been screaming for help so loud my ears hurt. That's what her eyes spoke to me.

"Come on…. Come here." I carefully reached out my hands. "I have something for you. I need to use the mixer and it's going to be loud. But it's not going to hurt you. And I promise I won't… there's nothing here for you to fear."

 _Except for your own feelings and those pictures playing on the insides of your eyelids. And I'm afraid it will be yet a while before those leave you alone. That while is going to feel like forever._

"Just a minute. I'll be right back."

Elena back on the couch wrapped in a blanket I moved back into the kitchen, found the mixer in a cupboard. Threw pieces of banana, strawberries, vanilla ice cream, milk and chocolate sauce into it and put it on. Poured it into a plastic cup and topped it with whipped cream and a straw. Before back in the living room where Elena hadn't moved an inch.

"Here." I handed her the plastic cup. "And I promise you, I have bought every single thing that can possibly taste good in a whipped-cream-ice-cream- and- milk- milkshake. So if you don't like that one then I'm sure I can make something that you do like." Elena carefully sipped from the straw. "Is that any better than chewing?"

"Yeah." A hesitant, slight smile faded over Elena's expression when she looked down into the cup. "Now what is in this one?"

"It honestly wouldn't surprise me if you found both canned tuna and broccoli in it with how I ran around in that store."

"Ow…" Something more of a smile and a short laugh turned up- unfortunately. "Don't make me laugh. It hurts…. And ew. I swear if I find a piece of canned tuna or broccoli in this I will never forgive you."

Then it was my turn to laugh. Not at the fact that it hurt her to do it. But in that comment was something of the regular Elena that I knew. Already, something not traumatized or broken. And even if it was ever so little it was something…

"Do you know what I'm going to do Elena?" I took my phone and span it in my hand while talking. "I'll buy you a new phone. A-ah. No protests." I interrupted before she had the time to say anything about how she didn't want me to have to do that. "And then, you'll have your brother's number and your mother's and everything. And then, you'll also have my number- and if you ever, EVER do you hear me? Find yourself in a position like where you were last night when you wanted to get home fast, then you call me. And wherever you are, I'll be there to pick you up. And if nothing else I will be there and…" I laid my phone down, pulled my sweatshirt off and flexed the muscles on my arms. "I will be there to scare those guys away with my very big and strong muscles."

"Yeah right?" I pretended to look hurt from Elena snorting at me. "How did that spinning-bike-project go by the way?"

I let my arms fall towards my sides- at least she was feeling good enough to joke so there was no way that I could have bear to scold her or anything. And she was right anyway, what was supposed to scare anyone away with? Talking about muscles we all knew I didn't have?

"You've got a point. But we don't have to let anybody else know about that. And I can be very protective."

I was suddenly interrupted when we heard the door downstairs open and close. That was always sounding so clearly through the stairwell and into the flat's I jumped every single time.

"I guess some of the neighbours have been out this morning t…"

My idea was crushed when we could both hear Penelope's voice sounding loud. I didn't mind was she was saying- actually, I was more concentrated on Elena's reaction while we could hear three pairs of footsteps coming up the stairs towards the flat.

"They're not supposed to be back yet… They're not supposed to be back for hours. What are they already doing back? When they were coming back I was going to have found out something to say about… I wish there was some way I could just take all of it away…" Elena ran her hand across the bruises on her cheek and down the side of her neck. "...Or just go back in time and take the way around to go home. So I wouldn't…" She silent when we heard someone tug the door handle. Not knowing the door was locked.

"It's okay." I squeezed Elena's shoulder as hard as I dared so I didn't hurt her. "And just tell the truth right away. At least I think you should. It's going to come out sooner or later and you know your mother loves you very much. I highly doubt she'll find any reason to be angry with you. None of this is your fault. You've got nothing to be ashamed of."

Then, just as the door opened she ran her hand through her hair and shook her head so the dark tresses hung across the dark blue patches of bruises while her brother, grandmother and mother came into the room.

"Why did you lock the door if you're both here?"

"Ehrm…"

I started to answer. But couldn't come up with anything so instead of continuing I squeezed Elena's shoulder and watched the three frown back at us.

"Alex… Go to your room."

"I didn't do anything."

"No. But we need to talk in private. Go to your room."

The second time around Alex obeyed and didn't seem to be able to do it quickly enough. In a matter of a split second before she had said it when we heard the door to Alex's room slam after him. Penelope and Lydia dropped their things on the floor….

And Elena still hadn't moved an inch since before the door opened.

Lydia turned to her little space of the apartment and closed the curtains after her. Penelope on the other hand came to sit on the couch. Every move slow and careful she lifted her hand and stroke away a tress of Elena's fringe from her cheek.

"What happened?"

Elena didn't answer. She started crying and when Penelope tried to get a good look on the bruises she leaned towards her mum's shoulder and held on tight. She had cried a lot tonight. But this was something else. Something of exhaustion and everything else that was coming up. Something of too much that only a mother's touch could fix. I wasn't blind or deaf. I could see there was nothing else for me to do here now.

Carefully, not to interrupt them I got up from the couch, took my phone and tip-toed towards the door. Then felt a silent sigh in tiredness running through my whole body when I reached for the door to leave for my own apartment.

"Schneider?"

"Yep." I span around a bit too fast when Elena called out for me and swayed a bit on my feet. "Whoa… It's fine. I'm fine… What were you going to say my friend?"

"I just wanted to thank you for staying with me tonight. And I'm sorry you had to stay up."

With a slight smile, and as on a given signal I yawned before I could answer. Which gave me a couple of more seconds to think of what I was going to say. I wanted to tell her that she didn't need to be sorry, I would do it all again, if it had been important I could just as well have lied down to sleep but still stayed in this apartment.

Or something like that.

If I just wasn't in such a hurry to get upstairs and to my bed. Still searching for a short answer I heard one, well maybe two words slip from my lips while I started turning towards the door again.

"Anytime."

 **Random fact (I always leave these at ends of chapters. Sometimes more than one, especially on one-shots)**

The title "Nelson street" might seem random and a name of a quite harmless place. I'm not quite sure where I got it from but I do think it was from Pete Nelson being on TV right before I mentioned it (I usually watch TV while writing)

I hope that you readers like this fic more than I did. It didn't end up as good as I had planned for it too. And it's not very good at all. But of course- that might be for me, since I wrote it. I hope you liked it. The same goes with how much I managed to get Elena and Schneider into their characters- I'm not sure. After all, this is my first try to a fic for odaat. So if not then I guess I'll have to practice haha.

 **I apologize to anyone named Garfield, Archie, Hector or Ursula for calling their name stupid. I just needed to find some and Googled for stupid cat names. And actually, I chose "Archie" only because I just love that name. It's one of my favorites.**


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